The Star Wars CCG was actually the foundation of this inspiration because the official website for the game had relatively high quality card scans that I could download, then edit later on my computer (even back in 1996!)
No single example captures this quite like Disdainful Stroke, a card which offers the opportunity to significantly trade up on mana with the drawback that it can only trade up
Its effect text, when translated to English (thanks, Bulbapedia), reads: We certify that your illustration is an excellent entry in the Pokmon Card Game Illust Contest
Then, a sickness befell the snails of Conch, and Wick along with them
There are a few key differences, like that split cards have the combined mana value and types of both halves, while MDFCs only have the properties of the front half when anywhere other than the stack or the battlefield
Combine this with some card draw and search options, and you've got the beginnings of something beautiful - but only the beginnings